Perfect for Each Other
by rupali100
Summary: Harry, wallowed in his self-loathing and loss of his Godfather, comes across an unexpected emotional comfort.


**Hello people, my new one shot. The first song is composed by me, the second song is from Jason Walker – Echo.**

**Please rate and review.**

Perfect for Each Other

Why didn't Voldemort just finish him off?

Harry's mind swirled around this thought, his heart felt as if pierced by a knife when he remembered his mother's voice, begging for that bastard's mercy.

Even introspection was not helping one gloomy Harry James Potter

Everyone left him, his father, his mother, he didn't complain (he was too small for that).

He was made to live in the worst Muggle household, that hellhole; he lived through that for ten years. Yet he didn't complain. (How could he, when there was no one to complain to?)

But now his only family he could think of, Sirius left him just a week ago.

What was he left of? Was he destined to be alone for whole of his life? Whenever one person he cared for ever met Harry, next they slip away from his hands. He just escaped that horrid Azkaban; he just started his life with a family.

And then Harry Bloody Potter's life again is black and white.

No colors.

Ron and Hermione were there, but they were his closest friends and brought some of the color back. But Sirius was his family.

He wanted some space, some distance from his friends. The pitiful glances were too much to bear. Hermione's pained look always made him want to bolt away and awkward silences with Ron were not really appealing.

So here he was, being the angsty little Boy-Who-Lived he was, walking around with the Marauder's Map and Invisibility Cloak placed at their appropriate places on his body. He raised his wand to see if Filch was following him.

He wanted to go to the Room of Requirement and wallow in his self-pity (he was getting used to it).

With a wistful sigh and blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall, he crossed the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and took a deep breath as he stood in front of the hidden wall.

He paced back and forth along the room: _I need some place to think… I need some place to think…_

Harry stopped short in his musings and changed his requirement.

_I need some emotional comfort._

Thinking that it won't work out, he almost switched back to his previous thought, but the door suddenly appeared. Harry utterly surprised and bemused to what the Room had to deal with this aching pain of loss, he opened the door curiously as soft click and a beautiful music reaching his ears.

He closed his eyes, his senses and expression slackening as he closed his eyes and sighed in contentment. Those beautiful notes of music, a guitar, he realized with daze and confusion. Who was playing a guitar?

As far as he knew, they never played muggle instruments, right?

Those melodious pluck of strings struck Harry's heart and ears, drowning him in myriad of emotions and bringing out this raw feelings out of him. As if this music has just uncorked a bottle of emotions in him, it made Harry relieved and only realized that he was being suffocated by his own feelings. Harry wanted to hear more, struck and mesmerized he walked on to the right corner of the room, from where the music was coming from.

He peeked around the turn and saw the familiar golden brown shade of curly and bushy mane.

… Hermione…?

Hermione was gazing the window, which was showing a full moon, playing the guitar. But that was not only that struck Harry.

It was such a wistful sadness on her face that was so similar to his own, the moonlight washing down her face and making it glow. It was a sad, but a very beautiful image of Hermione. It made Harry's heart ache and bowels clench. He knew he would remember this scene the whole of his life.

She was humming along with the music as she struck the cords again, tears flowing silently from her eyes. Harry didn't want to butt in and interrupt those calming and soothing notes of her music, but he couldn't help and see her cry like that, it did strange things to him. She hiccupped and with utmost desperation placed the guitar beside her chair, mumbling something which almost sounded like his name.

"Why aren't you helping me? Why?" Hermione moaned at the guitar, Harry momentarily jumped as he thought she was talking to him. She moaned again and clutched her head.

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her face with determination. She picked up her guitar again and placed it on her lap like before. She took a deep breath and plucked the chords, this time choosing a new music and singing along.

It was a romantic yet sad song.

_You are the one…_

_You are the one…_

_A reason to live,_

_A reason to feel._

_You're everything I need._

Hermione took a deep breath while Harry was struck mesmerized and totally lost at the beautiful voice he was hearing. It took him by surprise, his anger and frustration, sadness, emptiness which froze his heart like cold ice. It just struck there and all the ice shards were falling, warmth spreading through his chest. Harry noticed a small, yet such a sad, almost childlike smile on her face, it made Harry's heart almost break.

Harry took a deep breath and listened more. She had this small frown on her face, a similar to one when she read her books or Arithmancy.

_You never give up when I am falling apart,_

_You're arms are always open and wide,_

_It's magical…_

_And you are my wizard,_

_They key to the lock of my heart…_

Hermione's eyes glistened again as she looked up at the moon, her voice getting thicker yet adding some mysterious beauty to her song. Her voice rose up a note.

_It's so real…_

_My agony fades away,_

_When you hold me in your embrace…hold me…_

Hermione closed her eyes, her music taking a slightly sharper note, but her voice trailed off. She opened her eyes again and smiled that sad unfamiliar smile again.

_I love you._

Hermione nodded with satisfaction and picked the muggle green colored diary from the table beside her chair and wrote it down. She placed and audible dot with her muggle pen, indicating the end and placed it beside her diary.

So she was writing a song…

Harry always associated Hermione's voice to be sharp and high-pitched, screeching when angry and shrieking when in worry. But the song she just sung made Harry take that all back.

She was pretty and her voice was pretty.

The music left him with these fluttering and warm feelings. His emotion felt so haphazard yet he felt so calm and touched to the core, he unthinkingly walked to Hermione.

She heard the footsteps and turned around abruptly, panic and embarrassment, along with hint of fear written on her face. She turned a mixture of horrified and relaxed at the same time when she saw it was Harry.

"What are you doing here?!" Hermione shouted in that mesmerizing voice of her, the moonlight making her neck glow as his eyes darted there. It was suddenly like seeing Hermione for the very first time.

And he liked what he saw.

"Sorry," Harry smiled apologetically. Hermione huffed and plopped was what now a sofa with plenty of room. She shifted a little and let Harry sit beside her. He wanted to say how much he loved her singing and her music, and thanks for letting him come out of his sadness.

"You play guitar?" Was the ruddy thing that came out of his mouth. Why couldn't his mind and mouth cooperate when he wanted them to the most?

"Er… y-yeah I do…" Hermione peered at him warily.

"What?"

"…H-Honestly, I am just waiting for you to get up and… walk away…"

"And why would I do that?" Harry asked indignantly. It was Hermione's turn to scowl at him.

"You always do when things get awkward. You don't want to talk to me nowadays, driving me nutters. Then it's Ron who doesn't know how to help you and keep pestering me to help you or suggest something to help you! Then I shout at him and then you walk in. We try to help and stay by your side and then you just turn away from us again! Do you know what it does to Ron, to _me_? It makes us feel like we're failing terribly as a friend and I assure you Harry, it's a very shite-like feeling. I know I shouldn't shout at you like this, but you are just the reason I walked here and try to calm myself and think of the ways to cheer you up. Here you are again, so I am just waiting for you to go, but hoping desperately that you don't." Hermione took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks, trying to calm herself and winced when she saw Harry's shocked face.

"I-I am so sorry Harry… I-I didn't mean to… I am just so angry…" Hermione sighed and pulled her legs up, placing her head on her knees.

"It's my fault Hermione-"

"No, don't for Merlin's sake. That's why we keep quiet, because you take all the blame. It's not your fault Harry. I just want you to be happy, or at least pull yourself up from this loss. Sirius was so dear to you. I know I would have been the same, but here I am acting like an idiot. I just want to be by your side and be a pillar of your support," Hermione said, tears clinging to her lashes like crystals. Harry gazed in those amber eyes, which spoke _his_ pain. Harry gulped down the lump in his throat. Did Hermione always felt like that?

"It's so painful for me to see you like this. It makes me feel like running back to the Veil and pull Sirius back," Hermione choked on a sob. Harry hesitantly placed a hand on Hermione's.

"Why are _you_ sad?" Harry whispered the question he wanted to ask the most. Hermione laughed humorlessly.

"Because _you_ are." She answered simply, as if it was the most obvious fact. She sucked in a sharp breath when Harry abruptly pulled her for a hug. Hermione bit her lip when she felt the small trembles from his body as he hugged her rigidly. Like awkward he was with physical affections, it made Hermione pleasantly surprised that it was Harry who was initiating this time. She hugged him back tightly, inhaling his comforting scent.

Harry detached himself when Hermione loosened her hold and grinned.

"You have the death grip which could rival Hagrid's," Harry informed. Hermione scoffed with disbelief.

"Imagine Harry Potter, dying just by a girl's hug? What would people think of you?" Hermione gave him a mocking look. Harry rolled his eyes, landing on the guitar placed idly beside her.

"Since when do you play?" Harry asked softly. Hermione, to Harry's surprise, blushed.

"Er… I started in the summers after second year… You know… when you avoided me in our third year, I played this and felt so comfortable and happy. I think this is the fourth thing I can't live without," Hermione smiled at her guitar lovingly.

"What are the third, second and first?" Harry asked.

"Third are the books, second are my parents and… first are you two," Hermione admitted with a blush which felt like it would stain her cheeks forever. Harry's eyes widened, but he smiled back tentatively.

"Both of you too. You are very important to me," Harry whispered, realizing the truth of his own words. Hermione didn't say anything and looked at his shoulder, blushing when Harry caught her.

"I… Can I just place my… head… you know, just forget it-" Hermione couldn't complete her sentence as Harry offered her his shoulder with a small smile. Hermione looked back into his eyes, her eyes burning with something Harry had never seen before and placed her head on his shoulder.

They sat comfortably, basking in each other's silence.

"Since the summer after my second year. Dad bought me one in my second year, but couldn't post it, thinking it was against Hogwarts rule. It has been a very good companion during my lonely times," Hermione sighed as she patted her guitar lovingly.

"Lonely times? When were your lonely times?" Harry asked curiously. Hermione pulled her head up; leaving Harry disappointed and almost made him apologize that if he asked something wrong. He wanted her to rest on her shoulder, it felt sort of good.

"You want to know? I mean… I am not offended or anything, but you want to hear?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Harry was confused, why wouldn't he want to hear her? But then it struck him again.

He knew nothing about her muggle life. And he never tried to know either.

What kind of friend was he?

"Yes, I do." Hermione threw him a searching look at the change of the tone, but then just slightly shrugged.

"Umm… my first one was Ron calling me a 'nightmare'. I couldn't believe how much that hurt me. Tears just won't stop.

"Then a lonely moment was when I was petrified, I sometimes grew conscious and heard you and Ron, not most of the time. So yes, I was very lonely and worried about you.

"When we fought in our third year, I was so lonely that time. The last thing I ever wanted, and ever expected, was you to avoid me. It still hurts to think about. But you were acting like such an arse, so I had to bear it with my anger," Hermione said in a hoarse voice. Harry felt guilt flowing through him; he opened his mouth to say something, anything. But nothing came out.

"That time, this helped me." Hermione gave a very soft and adorable smile at her guitar. She looked back at Harry and gave him a knowing look when she saw his expression. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Harry knew that moment she understood how sorry he was.

"In my fourth… hmm there wasn't really a lonely moment… ah there was one. When I got hate mails and one had Bubotuber pus in it. I never let you see, but I was so terribly afraid that I couldn't play my guitar again. I wept and sobbed, feeling the loneliest I have ever felt. It made me realize just how dependent I was on this that I even lost my impeccable sense of logic, one I prided in. I wanted to talk to you about it so much…" Hermione trailed off, making an expression that told Harry that just slipped from her mouth.

"Why didn't you?" Harry asked quietly, peering in her eyes. Hermione just shook her head.

"You always struggle Harry. Triwizard tournament, then a psycho killer after you, this loneliness, then girls," Hermione chuckled, though Harry didn't as he continued staring at her.

"I didn't want to add something like stupid teen insecurity in your already overloaded plate," Hermione whispered, as she gazed at him sadly. Harry just shook his head. She didn't get it, it was anything but stupid. She was important to her and he would never be bothered of her problems. But again, nothing came up.

"Trust me, you wouldn't have," was all Harry could mutter. Hermione gave him a smile.

Harry wanted to hear her sing again. He wanted to hear her and forget all his sorrows and make her forget all her sorrows. But then his tongue decided to disobey him.

"Er… can I… can I hear you sing again?" Harry asked her so hesitantly like he was asking the color of her knickers today.

Wait… where did that come from?

"Well… umm… you want to hear it?"

"I do," _Please._

"Sure," Hermione nodded and pulled her guitar on the lap. She turned to Harry.

"Any suggestions?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head. He hardly knew about muggle music and he didn't really have favorites. He just heard a few in the muggle streets but they weren't that nice. Hermione nodded and searched her thick and half filled diary for a song. Harry tried to peer over her shoulder, but she just moved it away from his line of sight with a blush and an admonishing look, and closed the diary instead of looking for a song. Harry grumbled. She smiled and nodded to herself as she searched her memory for a good song.

She struck her guitar into a more cheery yet calm tune. Harry just closed his eyes, soft smile etching his lips as he listened. He waited for Hermione to utter the lyrics from her beautiful voice.

_Hello, Hello,_

_Anybody out there? 'Cause I don't hear a sound,_

_Alone, alone,_

_I don't really know where the world is but I miss it now._

Harry felt the emotions and the words touch him. It was exactly how he was feeling at the moment.

_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name,_

_Like a fool on the top of my lungs._

_Sometimes when I close my eyes, I pretend that I am alright,_

_But it's never enough._

It seemed like Hermione had carefully selected that song from her diary, just to describe him. He was too dazzled and mesmerized to think more about it.

'_Cause my echo, echo,_

_Is the only voice coming back,_

_Shadow, shadow_

_Is the only friend that I have…_

Before Harry knew, she stopped after some minutes. He cracked his eyes open.

"Why did you stop?" Harry asked in confusion. Hermione looked at him strangely.

"It's finished Harry,"

Harry made a frown. That early? But he wanted to hear more…

"…More?" Hermione replied to what seemed like he had said out loud. Now the deed done, Harry just nodded and glared half-heartedly at the amused Hermione.

It was becoming more of a daily routine where Harry would ask her if she was playing again, she would again look at him happily and agree and tell him her schedule. Harry started to come out of his shell little by little.

The nightmares that seemed to plague his mind where he repeatedly watched Sirius die now stopped. All thanks to Hermione.

Harry started opening up to Ron and talked happily about Quidditch and other stuff. Harry noticed a glitter in Ron's eyes which made him realize just how much Ron missed him.

In this process Harry was starting to become closer with Hermione and she too taught him how to play a guitar. Harry immediately understood why she played when she was feeling lonely. It truly helped him a lot.

He would notice when she would write songs: she will pout at the lack of word, or positively beam when she found one, then get all dreamy when think of a romantic line, she will glare at him for making fun of her, and then have a look of adorable concentration on her face. She will hum the music under her breath while closing her eyes and thinking and placing the lyrics on the correct order with her music, tsking whenever she got it wrong.

She had got a thousand expressions, making him curious to explore them all.

Harry would skip days occasionally when Hermione told him that she would be studying, but his wounds were healed enough and he didn't feel depressed anymore. He just followed her to the Library and enjoyed her calming presence.

Suddenly not her music, but she was enough.

It was something… something about Hermione that made him gaze at her and made him forget all his worries, tension and just stare at her.

Harry didn't know, or didn't want to know what he would do without her. Cho, or any other girl he would have come to fancy at some point, may trample and hurt his feelings. But if Hermione were to leave him, ever,

He would die.

"So, are you ever going to let me see your diary?" Harry asked her one day. Hermione shook her head with a sad smile, which made Harry frown. He didn't press on that sad expression.

"Why?"

"Not worth wasting your time in."

"Try me."

"I don't want to."

"But I want you to want to."

"But I don't want you to want to."

"But I don't want you to don't want me to want to."

"But I want you to don't want to… Merlin Harry!" Hermione smacked him with her diary. Harry laughed as Hermione blushed in slight indignation. Hermione started to pull away the diary she held her secrets in which made Harry so bothered and curious, he tried to grab it. She dodged it barely as she glared at him warningly. His eyes turned so mischievous that would have made a Marauder proud.

"Harry…" Hermione warned as she started to pull away. Harry's evil grin widened.

"Hermione…" Harry copied. Hermione crawled back, Harry only crawled forward.

"Harry… I am telling you- gah!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise when Harry leaped on her, trying to snatch the diary from her hand as she giggled and gasped, stretching her hand and successfully keeping it away as Harry was half-concentrating on not to squish Hermione.

"Give-it! I will just- take- a- look!" Harry struggled as he pulled one of Hermione's arm above her head and clasped it tightly, which was restraining his other as they too stretched towards her other hand, him laying above her against the sofa while Hermione jerked.

"No-way! Potter!" Hermione said and gasped at the sensation when Harry rubbed his whole torso against her. The diary dropped from her hand but her gasp had already managed to distract Harry as he looked back at her, afraid that he had hurt her.

She was blushing as she gazed at his neck and below. His eyes followed her direction and widened when he felt her chest, such soft chest rubbing against him. He wanted to get up and apologize profusely, but his body and his heart disobeyed his brain.

He looked back at her, trying to convey his apology with his eyes, but couldn't quite find to do that either. Hermione looked so beautiful, that he lost all coherent thoughts.

The dust of pink decorated her cheeks as she avoided his gaze, her slightly moist breath hitting Harry's neck. Her dark long lashes fell over as she cast her eyes down, her hand fisted between them. It looked like she wanted to push him away but couldn't find herself to do so, just like Harry.

She was biting her lip nervously, like she always did when she was worried or thinking deeply. He never thought much of that gesture. It was innocent, always nonchalant for him.

But this, this was anything but innocent. It made him feel like a man, a man who wanted to touch this girl beneath her so much that it was a physical ache not to. She was ducking her head a little as if bearing his heated gazes. She looked so angelic and so innocent there that it made Harry almost kiss her. Her hair was splayed all over the armrest of the sofa where her head was laid, a curl on her cheek which she almost tried to pull away, but Harry stopped her.

Her eyes finally flickered back at his, gasping a little at such an intent look of Harry's. He leaned a little closer, brushing his curl away gently, the pad of his thumb lightly caressing her cheek in the process. Hermione couldn't find to avert her gaze, trapped by those emerald colored eyes. She closed her eyes as Harry captured her lips.

It was so sweet… and so perfect, like she always imagined it to be. He pressed his lips against her before moving them and caressing her lips softly with his own. The fluttering feeling only increased. It felt so good and so… there. Like this was how it was always supposed to be.

She opened her eyes as he pulled away, again greeted by those lovely emeralds.

He didn't get up; he just stared at her like he was seeing her for the very first time. With a smile, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. He got up from her, while Hermione looked away and picked up her diary, pressing it to her chest.

"I... I am sorry for doing that without your permission-"

"What does this mean Harry?" Hermione turned to look at him. He was very surprised to find vulnerability there. He took a deep breath.

"I wanted to do that for a long time Hermione. And this means I like you and… I want to date you," Harry said with a mumble and an awkward smile, which came out more like a grimace, blush coating his cheeks. Hermione looked jubilant, beaming.

"I would love to date you Harry!" she confessed. Harry felt the confidence coming back and grinned, giving her a peck on the lips.

"Perfect. I love you," Harry said and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Hermione blushed.

"I-I love you too." Hermione said with that sad smile which suddenly changed a tone and was turned to a very happy smile. Harry pulled Hermione over his chest, much to her pleasure, and let her lean over him.

"…Will you ever tell me what is there in that diary?" Harry asked after few minutes' silence. Hermione took a deep breath, contemplating whether to tell him the truth or not.

"…There are songs… all about you… I w-wrote them, thinking about you…" Hermione said hesitantly. Harry's eyes widened as he politely asked for her diary, she gave him without any complaints.

He opened the diary eagerly, for the first time noticing the green of the diary was similar to his eyes.

"Argh, so embarrassing!" Hermione huffed and buried her face on the Harry's shoulder. Harry smiled at her while he read her songs. He could see gradual and slight change in her handwritings, indicating that she had been writing them for a long time.

Feeling happier and happier at the moment but also devastated that Hermione had been thinking of him like that for a long time, he read her last song.

"You are perfect for me Hermione." Harry stated confidently. He pulled on Hermione's arm, making her reluctantly look at him.

"Am I?"

"… I made you wait way too long, didn't I?" Harry said with a smile, melted at the cute sight of Hermione. Hermione slowly nodded in agreement.

"Since when?" Harry asked. Hermione looked away. Harry just held her chin and forced her to look at him.

"Since when?" Harry repeated.

"F-First year, when I first saw you on the train…" Hermione confessed with a deepest blush Harry had ever seen. Harry just shook his head.

"Too long… I have to make up for it, don' I?" Harry said, grinning at Hermione's flummoxed look.

He kissed her.


End file.
